Love / Polish girls vs Ukrainian girls: Who do you think is hotter? [152]

I think Ukrainian girls would go after your passport. The moment they have a EU passport you probably would be lost.
Wherereas Polish girls do not need a EU passport (they already have one), so they would be more honest I think.

Life / Exam for Drivers License in Poland; English? [99]

Whatever, bribes or not.... The average Polish driver is a regular nut case. Drive a bit in Warsaw and I am sure you will agree.

I am driving each month 2.000 km back/from work. Today I saw 4 accidents. Every day I think I saw the worst possible and always there is a kamikaze who surprises me.

It is not the licence which counts here I guess....

Travel / Castles and Palaces in Poland (with pictures) [155]

Zamek Kśiąż near Wałbrzych is one of the biggest castles in Central Europe.
OK, Wałbrzych is a city best forgotten. The castle is impressive though.
As a bonus you get the nearby town on Świdnica with its fair share of monuments.
Nice place :)

zamek-ksiaz.pl

Life / Gyms in Warsaw [44]

I am going to Gymnasion - gymnasion.pl - can recommend it. Costs me 179 PLN per month.

Real Estate / Neighbourhoods in Warsaw - how safe? [23]

I am living already for years in Bielany, the not so posh part of Warsaw, never had any problems. My cars is parked on the street, never broken into.

By the way what is the expat fascination with Mokotów? I have never understood this.

News / Polish President Lech Kaczynski and gov officials die in a plane crash in Russia [686]

1. Presidential plane plans to land on a military airfield with little or no ILS and in bad weather conditions
2. Half hour before a Russian military plane, with an experienced pilot who knows the area, could not land there and went back to Moscow
3. ATC in Smolensk asked the Polish pilot to divert to Minsk because of bad weather conditions
4. Planes with heads of state can override this kind of instruction and pilot proceeded and crashed (ordered by L.K. ?)
5. Some months ago in Georgia a similar incident occurred also with L.K. in the plane. At that time the pilot ignored the president and diverted. And later got in big **** because of that.

Or maybe the Freemasons did it? Just a guess....

News / Germany After the EU and the Russian Scenario - future of the European Union and Poland [310]

Especially when these Patriots which maybe will be coming to Poland are solely for US training purposes without warheads. Anything to appease the Poles, after all in the whole of CEE they are the only country still needing visas to enter the US?

Fine thread though. Any moment I expect somebody to pop up with a posting about "Nazi Ufo's over the Antarctic" or something entertaining like that :)))

News / Germany After the EU and the Russian Scenario - future of the European Union and Poland [310]

That is what I adore by this forum. Always some nutcase posting some new utterly wild theory :)
The Sorbs are a small minority in the far east of the old DDR. World domination is not in te planning I guess :)

Law / What are the bike laws in Poland? [30]

I am Belgian, live more as five years here and so got my Karta Pobytu replaced (it expired last year) by a flimsy piece of paper which is supposed to be your Permanent Residence Permit. And on that one most definitely the PESEL is mentioned. On the old Karta Pobytu it was not.

Back to the original thread, does anybody know if wearing reflecting (these bright yellow) jackets after dusk is compulsory? I heard a rumour about that one some time ago, but actually nobody is doing that.

USA, Canada / The proper behavior an American should show when visiting Poland [159]

Maybe like do not speak loudly, like you own the place?

News / Polish PM Tusk- dictator or not? What Poles think? [455]

As far as I know - I am only living six years in Poland - Donald Tusk is prime minister because his party - of which he is the party leader - won the biggest share of the votes in a democratic parlimentary election. His party is part of democratic coalition between two normal parties.

So where does the dictatorship comes in?

With the latest opinion polls, both PO and their presidential candidate enjoy a lot of support.

Speaking as a Belgian, Herman van Rompuy is not a powerful Eurocrat. He was a consensus candidate between all EU countries.

And I do not think we have to take lessons from Serbia, arguably the most backward, corrupt and violent country in the whole of Europe, prone to war crimes and mass killings.

News / Polish PM Tusk- dictator or not? What Poles think? [455]

Sorry I stick to my point that Serbia is a backward and violent, mafia-dominated "country".
They managed to start the First World War, you have to be a pro to do that one.
I am not Polish, that much is true, but I wholeheartedly in local and European elections voted PO. I think in Poland they deliver the majority of the normal balanced politicians (with the exception of Palikot maybe).

News / Polish PM Tusk- dictator or not? What Poles think? [455]

The Black Hand of Serbia shot Ferdinand (arguably the most progressive, farsighter and progressive of all Habsburgs).
I sorts of agree with Bismarck on this one. First that you should build a wall around the Balkan and let them sort our there own problems and second that all kinds of ugly wars are prone to start over there.

BTW, what a pretention to compare Serbia to Poland. Poland was always part of the Western hemisphere - whatever its shortcomings (Only have to quote old Winston who once told "Europe ends at the Bug").The Enlightenment never reached Serbia. Backward and Ottomanic in its past. Ever-violent and maffia in its present and future.

History / Lusatian-Sarmatic obsession of Poles [153]

I bet you will tell soon that "zurek" (which I adore, especially the version made by my Goralka mother-in-law) and "pierogi" (which I do not eat) have also a Sarmatian/Lusatian/Serbian background? Except that Poland always was a part of the Western hemisphere.

I know "Mitteleuropa"s is heavy definition, but something is in that.
You Balkanists...Remember old Bismarck, he was not so stupid.

History / Lusatian-Sarmatic obsession of Poles [153]

It is still funny though. How a Serb tries to compare his backward Ottoman province to a country which is from a background completely European. (not counting any poultry here though). On the end he will tell that my beloved native Antwerp is full of Serb accents :)

Love / Ten things to remember when you have a Polish girlfriend [79]

My wife is a Goralka, so per definition a bit more strong/flamboyant than your average Polish girl. Her mother even more, so I am relieved 300 kms separate us :)

But between us religion never has been important. We sometimes go to church to the "English parish" on Radna (great priest) but besides of that? The local priest does not even bother to come here to beg for money (as they do everywhere in Poland). He tried once, never repeated it.

Though when we go to my wife's hometown we strictly observe all customs. I guess it is a matter of respect. We lead our own life in the big city, but once over there...why to make a fuss? It is not worth it. These few weekends we are there....Her mother feels at peace... we survive.

Love / Ten things to remember when you have a Polish girlfriend [79]

What do you mean with decadence here ? I mean they are not anymore impressed by hard currency but want to pursue their own career?

Love / Ten things to remember when you have a Polish girlfriend [79]

I think this shows how you think about (Polish) women in general. Of course if you go to clubs where women go to pick up foreigners... Poor...

If I see if our social circle, people do not have time to go out. You go to work on normal working hours, get home very tired, Saturdays are spent making shopping, washing the car, evening going with friends to the movies... Sundays sleeping a bit longer, making a walk together in Lazienki... and then it is again Monday morning.

Life as it is.

History / Lusatian-Sarmatic obsession of Poles [153]

Bismarck actually knew where to draw the line. He had no time for his own General Staff's plans for an assault on Russia. But he once was gone Germany's politcians became more belligerent. He realised the continuing existence of the Habsburg empire was essential for European peace.

He did not want the Balkan madmen to escape their cage and make havoc on European civilisation. Aided by Wilhelmine grandeur.
Yes he was also cynical but also believed in checks and balances.

Genealogy / Does anyone have any relatives who served with 1st Polish Armoured Division (Gen. Maczek) [311]

They also liberated my mother's hometown in Belgium - Ghent - and played a big part in liberating the region where my dad comes from. (Merksplas - Rijkevorsel - Hoogstraten)

USA, Canada / Poles in America: How do you pronounce your Polish surname? [128]

I know in my native Flanders the fact that women's surnames change gramatically - "a" on the end in most cases - at times confuses people in the administration.

But what is think is very confusing is that the fact that women after marriage take their husband's surname - be it gramitacally adjusted -.

Honestly I also do no not understand this. In my country up to the 60's wifes added their husbands' surnames to theirs. But not giving up their own.

USA, Canada / Poles in America: How do you pronounce your Polish surname? [128]

Girls in my company systematically take their husbands' names.

History / Poles should emulate Jews? [153]

Could we not talk about Summer topics.... outdoor drinking in Warsaw... where to sit in the shade and not melt these days....
But please not yet another dreary same-subject topic :(

History / Poles should emulate Jews? [153]


About not living in Warsaw - I agree :)
I do not know anybody at all who ever mentioned something about a "Jewish Question" in my social circle, nor at work. Perhaps I did not meet any "Nasz Dziennik" readers yet :)

For that matter, hardly anybody is mentioning the elections as well.

History / Quotes of Polish or German kings, generals [41]

"Veni, Vidi, Deus Vicit" or "I came, I saw, God conquered"
by Jan Sobieski III after his hussars routed the Turks before Vienna on 12 september 1683.

History / Quotes of Polish or German kings, generals [41]

Still a great victory though

History / Quotes of Polish or German kings, generals [41]


For me it ranks in the same league as some other decisive battles such as the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, Battle of Tours/Poitiers in 732 and the 451. All of them were lead by competent generals, all saving Western Civilization from the barbarians.

So whether he adapted Caesar's quote a bit... not so important :)

Food / What's your favorite Polish coffee? [75]

I am living here in Warsaw six years, coming to Poland since 1989....And I find Polish coffee genuinely horribly.
Or you get the German brands (half of them Unilever-owned) dumping (as it seems to me but I could be mistaken) their worst and third-choice products here (Tchibo, Jacobs) for a meagre price. Or you pay crazy over-inflated prices for Italian brands. Or Dutch DE pretending to be Italian and selling at the same idiot prices.

Every time I go home to Flanders - I stock up at my coffee for the next few months and I survive :)

By the way I tink the typical Polish way of making coffee of pouring boiling water on ground coffee in a glass might be a bit of the past. Nobody in my wife's family, nor in my social circle is doing that still. (They are using or a typical percolator or an expresso machine). But I remember that kind of coffee. It was or mind-boggling strong or just coloured water - depending on the host :)

Food / What's your favorite Polish coffee? [75]

I only drink coffee in the morning (percolator) with milk and sugar....So enlighten me... what is "ice coffee"? How do you prepare that?

And Nescafe/Jacobs atr work until midday.

I am never going to Starbucks - epitome of Americanism in this world - but I have friends here in Warsaw who are seduced by their free WiFi.